how to rebuild unused muscles

[diamond]

Peaceandquiet thanks for chipping in..so sorry you too are struggling. I soo appreciate you saying you started to get some tone back it gives me hope and i really need it so thank you thank you.

I managed to loose about 14lbs over the winter as my weight had crept up to from inactivity and poor food choices as i am usually a healthy eater but that went out the window too for a while..just grabbing what was easiest and sometimes comfort eating.

It still slips back sometimes but i watch to make sure the weight doesnt go back on.

If it something you feel in a place emotionally you want to address i promise if i can do it so can you!

Please take care of yourself..i know we have shared experiences that have affected our fibro. x

 

[Marvis]

Saw the new physio yesterday. He was very thorough and compassionate, so that was good. He was also honest. So we're going to work on my neck and he said expect 10 weeks twice a week and only expect 10-15% improvement. I'll take what I can get, I just need someone guiding me through it. He also showed me how to do a few arm exercises that I can do without involving my shoulders, so we'll see how that goes.

 

[diamond]

Mavis did he explain why to expect only 10/15% improvement? Good Luck with it and i hope you get even more than that as the weeks go by.

 

[Marvis]

I believe because I'm 48 and have been carrying tension in my neck and shoulders since my teens ... I think he's just warning me that it's a long, long road to improvement and not to expect miracles. So perhaps I can get more improvement than that, but it's going to take a very, very long time and dedication.

 

[VanGogh]

In response to the original question " how to rebuild unused muscles " The pain clinic gave me a device to " try " for my back pain. I honestly do not know what it is called, however I can tell you that it is similar to a TENS Unit only it has 8 contact pads. In other terms I think it is generically called EMS for Electrical Muscle Stimulation and I also know that these devices come an many sizes; some with 32 contacts and a console that looks like a Moog Synthesizer with knobs and slide controls to adjust values of electrical and types of impulses. I mention the last one just to say that these devices are out there and may be available for " sessions ". But even a basic TENS Unit is capable of stimulating growth in muscles. The one that I now have has amazing benefits that go way beyond what they told me it would do but I must confess this admission fits well into my new post today about " self medicating ".

After get this device to keep for myself I started placing the contacts on other area's of my body ( no not THERE LOL! ) but virtually everywhere else. It works my arms and legs to a point that feels like I worked out with weights for and hour! I can SEE the changes and I not imagine that it is possible to simulate exercising by placing the contacts in the right places.

Also along this path of experimentation: the numbness in my feet got so bad at one point that I tried putting the contacts on my feet. A week ago I had it on my right foot for two sessions. Each session is composed of two sets of different algorithms; one is 15 minutes long and the second is 30 minutes long. My device has 3 or 4 "programs" built into it each consisting of different combinations of set programs.

Like most self experimentation I do not tell my doctors because they almost always poo poo the idea so I just do it. That last session that I mentioned was followed an hour later with a 2 hour massage where I communicated specifics about my pain and numbness to the massage therapist and SHE was the one who mentioned FIBRO and consequently she KNOW how to touch me. She worked on my feet for part of the session and when I walked out the numbness was better than it has been in months!

I now use this device everyday and only wish that I had a partner with whom I could co-partner with to place these contacts in places that are otherwise impossible to reach on my own. Of course that person does not need to be a Fibro person but it would be nice to experiment together. ( no pun intended ) In the meantime I can reach my feet, arms, legs chest and butt. My neck and shoulders are impossible to connect to.

So I'll keep you all posted as to end results but the future looks promising as of now.

Hope this helps.

 

[sunkacola]

A TENS unit or similar device will do nothing to build muscle tissue or make the muscles stronger.
Only exercising those muscles will do that.

 

[VanGogh]

A TENS unit or similar device will do nothing to build muscle tissue or make the muscles stronger.
Only exercising those muscles will do that.

There is a lot of articles, stories, facts, and fiction concerning EMS. Here is one and I will present a few more later along with a picture of the two devices that I have.

Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) or electromyostimulation, is the elicitation of muscle contraction using electric impulses. EMS has received increasing attention in the last few years because of its potential to serve as a strength training tool for healthy subjects and athletes, a rehabilitation and preventive tool for partially or totally immobilized patients, a testing tool for evaluating the neural and/or muscular function in vivo, and a post-exercise recovery tool for athletes. The impulses are generated by a device and delivered through electrodes on the skin in direct proximity to the muscles to be stimulated

My device reduces the tingling in my feet and when placed on my arms they feel as if I worked out on machines at the gym.

Just my experience. I did not and would not say: " THIS WILL....." It just works for me.